Street
lanterns win the hearts of many tourists to Hoi An. Photo by VnExpress/Tran
Viet Anh

Hoi An, the much loved
ancient town in central Vietnam, has started a new project to use solar power for its
major attractions, with funding from the German government.

The $147,000 project will
set up solar panels at the one-hectare (2.5-acre) Hoai River Square to provide
a 55 kWh source for sound and lighting systems at street arts programs,
entertainment centers, street lanterns and the iconic 400-year-old Japanese
bridge nearby, officials said.

The German government
will cover 90 percent of the cost, while Hoi An and its German twin city
Wernigerode will chip in the rest.

Once a popular trade
port in the region, Hoi An is now one of the most peaceful, greenest towns in
the country, drawing tourists to its picturesque wooden houses, pagodas,
street-side eateries and hundreds of tailor shops.

A travel forum run by
U.S. magazine USA Today described Hoi An as one of 10 most beautiful places in
Southeast Asia, a place where one can find “tranquility and timelessness.”

“Best Day on Earth,” a
new book from the UK travel publisher Rough Guides, listed Hoi An’s full-moon
festival among the world’s most extraordinary travel experiences for the
hundreds of lanterns that glow along alleys and river banks around town.

The solar power project is
hoped to help the city develop sustainable tourism that is suitable with its
strategy to become an eco-friendly destination.